Jamie Spencer can’t curb his enthusiasm for Lonsdale Cup chance

Jeremy Noseda called me on Monday to ask me if I could do the 8st 6lbs to ride her. I said I could and since then I’ve been flat out training to get there. In fact by Wednesday I had got down to the weight that I needed to be. That meant that on Wednesday night I had some Halibut and yesterday morning I ate Smoked Salmon and scrambled eggs, and then just went to the gym afterwards to work it off. My approach to getting down to a low weight is just to train hard, as I like to get down to the weight a few days in advance so my body is used to it, and then I can eat and train to maintain it. Everybody has their own ways of doing it. Some jockeys like to lose the weight two hours before the race. I like to do it a few days in advance, and then eat, and keep feeding the system, rather than starve. I reckon it’s been three years since I’ve ridden at 8st 6lbs.

Nemoralia is the kind of horse I want  to be riding. She was only just beaten in the Coronation Stakes and she was very unlucky in the Juvenile Fillies Turf last year from a bad draw on ground that was probably softer than she likes.

In the Nunthorpe I ride Goken at 3.40. He needs it to rain a lot. He’s a horse that likes to get his toe in, and his best form is with a bit of juice in the ground. With conditions the way they are currently I find it hard to see him having a chance. I like Profitable as a horse. He’s got a great cruising speed and idles in front, so back at five furlongs I think he could be hard to beat.

I ride First Up for Jeremy in the Convivial Maiden at 4.20. Apparently they like him. I haven’t sat on him or seen him. As far as I’m aware they like him. I thought Frankie’s horse Rivet would be hard to beat and apparently Via Serendipity is Hugo Palmer’s best two year old. It’s historically a warm race, and it’s entitled to be, it’s a £60,000 maiden. It’s ridiculous prize money but it’s good and attracts a strong field.

I then fly down to Salisbury from York in a small plane which takes about an hour and twenty minutes, and ride Ronald R in the Stonehenge Stakes at 7.05. People might look and say he’s rated 85 why are they blowing that rating running in a Listed race but he’s really nice horse, probably our best two year old. I’m really looking forward to riding him. Montataire of Mark Johnston’s has good form and Cunco obviously has Royal Ascot form so they are a bit more experienced. But I really like my horse and I’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t take a hand.

I then ride Duck A L’Orange in the 7.35. He’s back out quick before his new rating kicks in as he was second at Newmarket six days ago, and had won there previously. So we are hoping he can take his form to a different track. We’ll give it a go.

Then in the 8.05 I ride Rainbow Pride for Sir Mark. He won nicely at Bath and then got disqualified. He then made the running at Wolverhampton in a small field and it didn’t seem to suit him. I’ll see what Mark says but I thought he would have an obvious chance.

Jamie